


the archer and the scientist: a tale of aching hearts

by thor_odinson



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Grief, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Mourning, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 13:21:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20310193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thor_odinson/pseuds/thor_odinson
Summary: Bruce helps Clint through the toughest part of having defeated Thanos.Prompt #2:Clint Barton/Hawkeye





	the archer and the scientist: a tale of aching hearts

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to eli @neville for supplying the science!! love u smart twin uwu

Bruce is on his way to the Avengers Tower labs when he hears several  _ thwunks _ in quick succession coming from Clint’s bedroom. He pauses outside the door, listening. 

The noises continue; something’s up. He knocks twice on the door and waits for an answer. There's one final  _ thwunk  _ and then: silence. 

“Come in,” says Clint after a minute; his voice is despondent. 

Bruce pokes his head in the door. Clint’s sat on his bed, bow in his hand, head low. “You okay, Clint?” asks Bruce. He looks across at the opposite wall. Clint’s huge dartboard is pierced with arrows. Bruce enters the room, closing the door behind him. 

“Yeah…” He shakes his head, then throws his bow behind him on the bed. “No. No, I’m not.” 

Bruce smiles sympathetically. He sits on the bed next to Clint and rests a hand on top of his. Clint rests his forehead against Bruce’s shoulder. “Want to talk about it?”

Clint inhales deeply. “No.” 

Bruce senses he may be close to tears. 

He rests his free hand on the side of Clint’s head, and presses a kiss to his hair. “Want me to talk to you about what I found out about terrestrial gamma-ray flashes?”

“What're they?” sniffs Clint. 

“Kinda like lightning.”

“Sure.” He mumbles something else, which Bruce suspects is, ‘Isn't that more Thor’s area of expertise?’

Bruce laughs. “Yeah. But it turns out there’s a whole aspect of gamma radiation that I didn't know about.” He lowers them both onto the bed, resting Clint's head on his chest. “Anyway. We don't really understand lightning, and something’s out there challenging our current theories about it. 

“So there are these terrestrial gamma-ray flashes which are bursts of gamma-rays produced in the Earth’s atmosphere. Apparently, they’re formed by electric fields inside or around thunderstorms. Fulminologists know about them because energetic positrons and electrons have been detected from them.” As he talks, Bruce is acutely aware of Clint threading their fingers together, squeezing lightly. 

He continues: “They don't really know how they work, but they're fairly certain that the electric fields that cause them come from the lightning itself.”

Clint sighs softly. “Your voice is nice to listen to,” he murmurs. He looks up. His eyes are red and puffy and tear-streaks line his cheeks. Bruce smiles at him, running fingers through his hair. 

“Feel a bit better now?” 

Clint shifts himself onto the other pillow, flinging an arm across his eyes. “A little.” And after a pause, “Can I talk about it, please?”

Bruce kisses his temple. “Of course. I’m here to listen, sweetheart.” 

After a deep sigh, Clint says, “We shouldn't have lost her.” Instantly, Bruce knows who he's talking about. “I'm not saying it should've been me but… there had to have been another way. We could have—” He pauses abruptly to wipe his eyes. 

Bruce’s heart hurts. He wraps Clint in his embrace, kissing his hair. “Hey,” he says quietly. “I know. I know how much it hurts you, darling. She should've been here, celebrating our win with us. But… she's not. And it sucks.” 

Clint is crying again. “I miss her  _ so much _ , Bruce,” he says, his words barely coherent. “She was my best friend. She had so much going for her. She was–she was—” 

Bruce hugs him tighter. “Shh. Shh.” His voice is soft, consoling. “Just let yourself cry, sweetheart. It’s okay. I’m here.” 

And he does. Clint cries so much he eventually falls asleep, fingers entwined in Bruce’s. Bruce holds him through this. It’s clear that this will affect the both of them for years to come; All he can do is support Clint through the grief to the best of his ability, and stop himself from wishing at any given moment that there had been another way to save the world. 


End file.
